Hi, I'm posting this here because I'm too embarrassed to visit a GP/clinic as of yet, or at least I want to be sure that something is wrong before I visit. I am not circumcised and my penis has always been pink/red but the edges and back is a slightly different colour - a darker (grey, almost light purple), which I don't think is normal. The most distressing thing is that it is very sensitive to touch, so much so that it's painful to touch, stroke, even wipe with a towel or a tissue. It has been like this for as long as I can remember, I thought it was normal before but as I got older I realised that sex isn't meant to be painful. I'm still a virgin but given the soreness when I touch my penis, I'd expect sex to be even more painful. The soreness seems to occur only with contact with something other than foreskin, when the skin of the penis "sticks" to the finger/tissue/towel and hurts when it is pulled away. There are also a few very small bumps (some red, some white) around the edges and the back, which I'd guess to be pearly penile papules.

I have been doing a little research on the net and have deducted that I don't have phimosis (I hope!) or an STD (you can't get an STD without having sex, right?). My two main concerns are either yeast infection or male thrush, but is it possible for these to be contracted and continue to take effect for years on end? I've tried to be as hygienic as possible but it doesn't seem to be having much of an effect, nothing seems to be changing. Hopefully one of you can correctly diagnose me and point me in the right direction please?

The penis comes in many colours and shades, and even the grey purple is normal, as my boyfriends penis has areas that are this colour when erect. Basically you should be able to tell if the redness is soreness or just red colouring!

With regards to the sensitivity, well again this is normall - as an uncut man you would not expect to be able to rub a towell over your glans without feeling it, and as you say if it sticks this is painful. It would be! Bear in mind that pain is very close to pleasure, and that normal sensations that a guy would expect from his glans depend on how much the glans has been exposed to the rough and tumble of life, and how much it is used to being rubbed, touched, caressed etc. You may find that you can get much better feelings from your glans if you use some lube such as KY or vaseline (dont use vaseline with condoms, as they will rot them faster than you can say snap). Try this to see if you can actually get used to touching your glans, and this will help you to get used to feeling what it is like and hopefully being able to enjoy those feelings. And no, I woulodnt expect a towell rubbed over it to feel that nice if you are so sensitive but some people would enjoy that feeling - its just folk!